Case Number 17038: Small Claims Court

THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT

The Charge

From Hopeless to Hope.

The Case

Sometimes, the material hits too close to home. No matter how well
intentioned the project, or sympathetic the portrayal, reality and experience
trump a work's ability to enlighten or entertain. Over the last 18 months I have
been personally dealing with the dementia (and eventual death) of my wife's 97
year old grandmother. From a freak car accident to hip surgery, a bout of
pneumonia to the rapid onset of mental decay, her situation soon became the
stuff of overriding everyday concern. Between trips to the hospital, visits to
potential nursing homes, and the eventual loss of a viable member of the family,
it was a strain on everyone -- especially emotionally. So when HBO released its
highly regarded collection of documentaries about Alzheimer's on DVD, fate
seemed to step in and mandate I review the over nine hours of content. While a
brilliant dissertation for anyone who has questions or concerns about the
degenerative brain disease, for me, it was like living the last year and a half
all over again.

It begins with the most devastating portrait of all -- The Memory Loss
Tapes. Following a group of individuals in various stages of the disease, we
see the functional and the lost, individuals learning to cope and loved ones
that have lost all hope. This is the kind of material that makes you think, that
makes you wonder how you'd react if the medical community mandated you could no
longer drive (thus severely limiting your independence) or if you saw the man
you loved for over forty years flirting and kissing with a fellow assisted
living facility patient. Unlike cancer, which destroys the body before
destroying the mind, Alzheimer's is the most horrific of thieves -- it steals
the person. All throughout this intriguing opening doc, we watch as family and
spouses literally crumble under the weight of losing someone important to their
life in gradual, heartbreaking steps. One even calls it by a very appropriate
name -- "the long goodbye." Old photos and vintage film footage drive
the disparity home in ways that instill nothing but sorrow and pain.

It's the same with Caregivers, another peak at people dealing with
Alzheimer's, this time from the other side of the hospital bed. More a companion
piece to The Memory Loss Tapes than its own unique perspective, we watch
as an old lesbian couple puts on a brave game face, the sudden onset of the
illness shortening what was always a promising and productive life together. We
see a heralded TV entertainer from the past falling apart in front of his wife's
tear-streaked eyes, a series of lies and fake phone calls keeping his muddled
mind quiet. From the singer who recognizes no one but can still warble with the
best of them to the mother who must be fenced in to keep from hurting herself,
both Memory Loss and Caregivers paint portraits of Alzheimer's
that are hard to forget. Even Maria Shriver, herself a professed "child of
the disease" (her father, Sargent Shriver, currently suffers), has a hard
time removing the stigma. Her child-oriented piece, Grandpa, Do You Know Who
I Am? reminds one of the work Marlo Thomas did in the '70s. It's high minded
and genial, while trying to teach kids not to fear their failing relatives. Some
of the images we see, and the stories connected to them, make said point rather
difficult to embrace.

Indeed, once we get to the other two discs in the three DVD set, The
Alzheimer's Project becomes a nonstop barrage of medical factoids and
scientific hypothesizing. We learn about cutting edge research, possible links
to other illnesses and lifestyle choices. We hear about breakthroughs in both
tradition and gene therapy, and we hear the heartwarming stories of individuals
who've benefited greatly from the studies currently being conducted. It's a nice
contrast to the pessimistic pieces presented before. Even better, the final disc
offers over four hours of extended coverage, getting deeper into the issues of
DNA, stem cells, diet, exercise, aging, and the ever-present promise of
miraculous options just around the corner. Of course, it still can't shake the
initial images we've seen -- especially if you, like myself, has just had a
similar set of experiences happen within the recent past. One of the oddest
things about The Alzheimer's Project, especially for someone with such a
circumstance in their life, is how familiar everything is. Nursing homes are the
same all over the country. Families all react and regroup in the very same ways.
The horrors are just as devastating, and when death finally comes, the relief is
equally, if unceremoniously, sweet.

As a document of the current state of research and development, The
Alzheimer's Project is a major effort. As an entertainment, it is
enlightening if loaded with dramatic drawbacks. The stories can be so sad, the
problems so personally monumental, that we wonder how anyone -- patient or part
of the family -- can survive. Similarly, there is little closure in most of
these cases. Memory Loss only wraps-up one of its many portraits, while
Caregivers gives endings, but no real sense of completeness. Still, the
ambitions here are all that matter, and for that fact alone, HBO deserves
recognition. Packing this DVD with almost four additional hours of material
means the company truly understands its role as subject standard bearer.
Technically, each documentary looks great. Shot on video and presented in a
1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image, the visuals here are colorful and detailed
-- sometimes, too much so. Alzheimer's takes a physical toll, and some of the
deterioration we see is hard to swallow. On the sound side of things, the Dolby
Digital Stereo 2.0 mix allows for each individual to be heard and easily
understood, no matter their mental condition. Again, this can create moments of
significance, as well as deadening moments of grief.

A minor confession -- when this series first aired on HBO, I tried to sit
down and watch it. I got through a couple of stories in The Memory Loss
Tapes before I recognized that familiar feeling of dread taking over. The
phone calls in the middle of the night. The depressing trips to the nursing
home. The free-flowing tears and worried angst of the rest of the family. The
still disconcerting sight of seeing my wife's grandmother, face in a death mask
grimace, like every horror film ever come to life. For me, The Alzheimer's
Project was a well-meaning if ultimately harrowing experience. Luckily, my
loved ones have survived this bout with the disease. For others, the torment
continues.